Aspies For Freedom

That rainbow spectrum huh? My first pychiatrist told me I could not have a pervasive development disorder (her words not mine, I used asperger's) because if I did I would not have any friends, would not have ever had a boyfriend, my service user's would hate me, when I said well I had a crap relationship which bordered on abusive she that was a normal thing, to add  insult to injury she also said I would not have been able to have done an art's degree (I did History - to correct her is a humantities subject that comes under the 'arts' faculty).  So I changed pychiatrist, paid for a private referral to class and her I am diagnosed HFA, shame I lost a lot of these friends/mates/actuances who ditched my obessessive need to prove the pychiatrist wrong (they could not believe I had told the professional's to fxxk off....).

Funny you should mention that.  I've been to a lot of therapy in my time and there's very little that "gets through"... it just doesn't seem to "connect" with my mind, either that or my therapists think I'm just socially anxious NT.

Therapy, in general, does not work for me.  I don't agree with most of it (I'm Enneagram Type 6--the questioner) and the advice I do agree with, I don't know how to use.

So what the hell are you seeing a psychiatrist for?  To help you?  or get an official diagnosis?   This person is not helping you by being misinformed.

I was encouraged to add Wellbutrin onto my Paxil regimen (as a combination) a couple years ago, but never did because I'm too reliant on other substances (caffeine a major one.)  Having a mix of prescription psychoactives can cause some unexpected effects when other drugs are used.  Or so I have read.

It seems too risky with Wellbutrin anyhow, because of the seizure threshold.

Oh, not a big point, just that your psychiatrist thought you were worried about your baby having an ASD and she said not to worry, which, though I think she is wrong about estimating the incidence, I do think it's a good idea for her to think your baby will be NT, or she might call in the interventionists, like happened with me, and was very very very unpleasant.

Ignore me, I'm in incoherent land right now, and probably read your initial post wrong.

Psychiatrists tend to believe they are God. They know everything, so why should they bother to learn anything?

"She's merely my SSRI prescription writing machine" is right. I go on google, research what I want, and he writes the prescription. I think I could go in and say "I've been reading about this stuff called 'heroin'...'" and he'd say, "Oh. Yes. Well, I can get you some of that."

The stupidity and ego is never-ending is it??  ::sigh::

This is my BIGGEST pet peeve regarding ASDs: professionals who are not experienced enough to reliably diagnose ASDs and yet they suddenly think because they've read the DSM, ICD, and have "met a person with autism", they're perfectly capable and don't need to refer you on to anyone who knows more than they do! ARGH.

I went through round after round of this (a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a therapist, and a social worker) till I figured out I needed to research more about WHO I went to for diagnosis and really needed someone who basically just does "autism", all ranges, both sexes, 24 hours a day. So I went to a local ASD center, they interviewed me, my mother, and I walked out (well, 3 weeks later) with a full assessment confirming my AS. And then later on I went to my mother's colleague for the official stamp (she wasn't experienced enough but she's humble enough and respects my mother and me so she really listened and agreed with the assessment's recommendations for diagnosis).

Unfortunately, experienced diagnosticians are so few and far between that even doing research about diagnositicians before seeking one out for dx isn't a guarantee you'll find one within your area.

And speaking of that USA Today article, those professionals were infuriating. ESPECIALLY Bryna Seigel of the Autism Center in San Fran who is UNdxing people! Grrrr...

I could use a lot of different things right now, what with an aggravating health problem that won't fix itself on its own.  I need some damn relief and a way to feel "okay" again.

Although certainly any kind of opiate with an SSRI (as I currently take Paxil) is an extremely bad idea, and very dangerous.

Apparently cannabis (from some of my own research) does not agree well with SSRIs, either.

Perhaps I should be looking into Strattera instead of Wellbutrin, in that case.

I think most ADHD kids without medication will have academic problems at some point, especially in the 10th/11th grades when things become very demanding; correct me if I'm wrong.

What's up with Eli Lilly?  Maybe I haven't been keeping up with the news or something, as I have no idea.

It looks like a drug used for those with risk of developing longterm psychosis, and you're right, I don't see why you'd be given that.

Perhaps I should feel lucky that my AS has always been in the mild/moderate range, and very few outward symptoms have been observable.  I feel sorry for you, mate.

I know it's none of my business but what condition did you develop as a result of Zyprexa?  I am a very curious person and I can be prying, so you don't have to answer if you don't want to.

In a lot of ways I'm really close to the diagnosable/undiagnosable line, and not sure what to do about it because I keep coming up with internal arguments of whether I am AS or something like ADD/Avoidant PD instead.

Like you I'm not sure about an official DX.

What to do about this, seeing as I need certainty/closure on things?  An Aspie trait, for sure.

I'm adult, intelligent, and male, but I haven't gotten very far, relatively speaking.

Hmph.

Well, the admittance was a bit of a joke.

And, as usual, Aspie denseness prevents me from getting the joke.
But it was TRUE.